Kealan O’Rourke will rewrite “Emily the Strange,” a movie based on the Dark Horse graphic novels that will star Chloe Grace Moretz as the titular goth girl, according to two individuals with knowledge of the deal. Melisa Wallack (“Mirror Mirror”) wrote a previous draft of the script, which is in development at Universal.

Rob Reger and his company Cosmic Debris created the character in 1993, and it has since become popular worldwide in myriad forms, from books to clothing to entertainment. Dark Horse Comics has released several graphic novels related to Emily, and Dark Horse Entertainment’s founder and president Mike Richardson will produce the film adaptation.

Dark Horse’s Keith Goldberg will executive produce the film with Reger.

O’Rourke has previously written and directed several shorts, including ‘The Boy in the Bubble.” That is being turned into a movie, one of three other projects O’Rourke has set up across town. He is also developing “The Houdini Box” for Chernin Entertainment and “Bolivar” for Warner Bros.

He is represented by Paradigm, manager Jairo S. Alvarado and attorney Robert Szymanski.